When Ross Taylor steps out to play two One-Day Internationals and a one-off Twenty20 International against the Netherlands in his farewell international match on Friday, he expects a bombardment of emotions.
Taylor, who announced his retirement at the end of the season, played his final Test against Bangladesh, tying Daniel Vettori for the most Test caps for New Zealand and leaving Test cricket in a way that only a few greats have done.
In the last act, Taylor stole the show by grabbing a rare wicket—his second in a 14-year career—and being mobbed by his colleagues. When the final wicket fell, New Zealand levelled the series. Taylor could not have been given a more fitting send-off. Taylor, 38, says he’ll be a lot calmer and more focused on the task at hand as he prepares for his farewell appearance for New Zealand.
“After you’ve made your decision, I suppose you have to live with it. The test match was maybe the most bitter reminder that your test career is coming to a close, but I’m looking forward to the one-dayers given that I know there will be cricket after that. On the international stage, I’ve had a blast and accomplished things I never thought possible. I’m looking forward to resuming my one-day cricket career. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, “Taylor revealed in an interview with Hindustan Times.
Taylor, along with Martin Crowe, Richard Hadlee, Stephen Fleming, and Kane Williamson, will surely be regarded as one of New Zealand’s best players. In his nearly 15-year career, Taylor has seen it all, from the disappointment of finishing second in two World Cup finals to the high of New Zealand winning the inaugural World Test Championship.
With the Black Caps needing 140 runs to win, Taylor and Williamson’s unbeaten 96-run combination guided the Kiwis to victory over India, the world’s top-ranked Test team. Against a top-notch Indian attack, the 150-run target would have appeared to be 250, but Taylor made it obvious he wasn’t going to let this one slide away.
To succeed against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma at the top of their game, let alone in English conditions, was always going to take a special effort, and Taylor rose to the occasion and fit in like a glove as New Zealand improved their already-impressive record against India in ICC matches. Taylor had to cope with some anxiety between those two points, as a butter-fingered India gifted him two lifelines.
When Jasprit Bumrah came in for 13 overs, he immediately got to work moving the ball around. The 30th over’s fourth ball was struck right down the centre. Cheteshwar Pujara lost a dolly as Taylor pushed and lured the ball to first slip. According to the NZ, Burmah’s overs to Taylor could have been one of the best spells he’s ever faced.
He’s a fantastic bowler, to be sure. While his speed is definitely essential, I believe his motion is more so. He’s only a fraction of a second faster than you may assume.
Because of his oddity, it’s difficult to pick up on his actions, especially early in his innings. With him, John Wright made a spectacular find. He’s certainly one of the finest, if not the best, all-format bowlers in the world right now, whether it’s T20, one-day, or Test cricket. ” A point was made by the renowned New Zealander.
Taylor confesses that his pre-series preparations in the Netherlands were less than ideal. Before joining Covid-19, the 38-year-old was due to play two one-day games and a T20 match with the New Zealand XI squad in Napier.
Thanks to the fact that it was only a small bump, Taylor was able to heal in time for the T20 match, which was rained off. Taylor has nearly 8500 runs at an average of 48.20 in 233 ODIs, including 21 hundred. He’s New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in the format, and it wouldn’t hurt if he could add to those totals before calling it a day on an illustrious career.
When we played the warm-up games, I was in Napier. They are a team from all around the world. We don’t know much about them, but we did have a peek at them and found them to be highly competitive over the years.
We need as much exposure and game time as possible for the Netherlands. They’ve upset a few test-playing nations in the past, so don’t underestimate them. They’ve previously performed in New Zealand. They have a couple of locals on their team, but it’s nice for them to come and see how things are in New Zealand, “Taylor continued.
Published by :- Tarsem Singh
Edited By :- Khushi Thakur
